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westvalleyview.com
The Voice of the West Valley for 32 years
Tips still sought in Jesse Wilson disappearance
INSIDE
This Week
23 July 26, 2017
HELPING HAND
By Christina Fuoco-Karasinski
NEWS .............................
Avondale police recruiting for Citizen Police Academy
SPORTS ......................
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16
Youngker’s new football coach excited for future 9 DAYS ........................
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Looking for something to do? Check out the 9 Days a Week calendar
LETTERS ........................11 BUSINESS..................... 13 SPORTS ..........................16 FEATURES .....................22 PHOTO PAGE ..............25 OBITUARIES .................26 CLASSIFIED ..................27 SOUTH
Buckeye 10-year-old Jesse Wilson has been missing for more than 12 months. Tips have dwindled. The press has pulled away. Since the media push surrounding the one-year anniversary on July 18, the Buckeye Police Department has received only a handful of additional leads. But the BPD forges onward in the hopes the student at Bradley Academy of Excellence in Goodyear will be found. The department is doing its best, detectives say. “I feel really good about myself for the work that we put in,” said BPD detective Tamela Skaggs, on behalf of her department. “It may not be work that people recognize Lisa Barganier and Amy Breed, both teachers at Imagine Rosefield school, receive a free bag or the public recognizes. But sometimes, we of blocks during a promotion on July 22 to support teachers and others to rebuild, reuse and hit a roadblock and we can’t go any further reimagine at Bricks & Minifigs shop in Avondale. See page 14 for a story about Bricks & Minifigs. (West Valley View photo by Ray Thomas) without more information.” Anyone with tips is asked to contact the Jesse was last seen wearing a red T-shirt in foster homes. Buckeye Police Department at bpdtips@ buckeyeaz.gov or via telephone at 623- and underwear, although gray shorts, black “At this point, we do have evidence 349-6411. For more information, visit shoes and socks were also missing from his from the search warrants that were done room. buckeyeaz.gov/jwilson-update/. on several places, the home being one of Massive area searches and targeted area them,” Skaggs said. Missing searches were conducted on foot, in vehicle “There was evidence that was found that Jesse was reported missing from his home and by air, to no avail. K-9 units, drones was sent to the DPS lab. We don’t have at 1 a.m. July 18, 2016, by his adoptive and search and rescue personnel were also that information back. I can’t go into that mother, Crystal, who said she last saw him used. Multiple law enforcement agencies because it’s still an active investigation. around 9:30 the night before. She said she and many Valley residents assisted Buckeye “With the case being a year old, we believed that he slipped out of his bedroom police in the search. definitely rely on tips – somebody who window, as he had done in the past. “We initially did a search of the home can help us with what was going on at that “She reported him as a runaway, based and the neighborhood, the parks, and time, anything in the home, what Jesse was on prior behavior,” said Skaggs, who has once that determined nothing, the search like emotionally. The tips may lead us to worked for the department in different expanded on a much larger scale,” she said. talk to certain people, including family capacities for 14 years. “When officers “We searched the land areas, the bigger members we don’t know of, or friends who arrived at 1 a.m. on the 18th, they began a areas and targeted areas.” we don’t know.” runaway juvenile report. Unfortunately, we Detectives working the case have been take quite a bit of those calls. in touch with Crystal Wilson, who did not Past reports “When we found out the age of the child show up for a 2016 custody hearing for In April 2011, Jesse was found wandering involved, that raised the situation to whole Jesse, his twin sister and their older brother. near his home, which he frequently had new level. It quickly became a missing The two children were removed from the person case.” home after Jesse went missing. They reside Jesse Wilson...continued on page 2